Contemporary forms of music publishing and journalism have taken rapid leaps in recent years. We have seen multi-platform journalism become an industry standard, and music blogs become the source of all new music. These mediums are industries are rapidly transforming, as technology evolves, and with it, society moves forward. However, the argument that journalism and music are dying are rendered completely false. The ‘frames’ by which we see these industries and modes have simply shifted.

Music is not enjoyed any less than it has in the past. We are being exposed to more new forms, styles and genres of music than ever before. Music is the artwork, but the literal frame around it has simply shifted to a more accessible medium than albums and record stores. Especially since public knowledge has become that music piracy is not as damaging as in perceived, accessing and downloading music online has become the norm. However, it is not the piracy aspect that is the main agenda. Revolutionary forms of access to music through blogs, social media and various networks shows that music’s demand has seen it transcend the record store or the music label. Not simply a demand from listeners but a demand by artists and producers to publish their own works.

Similarly, journalism has seen a demand in content across all mediums, not just print. Readers want not only the latest news, but they want it as soon as it breaks. Journalists now favour speed and response time of a story as opposed to quality, which can be worked on later. Readers would rather watch a 30 second video of a breaking story right as it happens, rather than an in depth analysis later that night.

The framing of journalism has dramatically shifted, where it has become ‘transversal’, not limited to any one traditional form. Likewise music may become even more transversal than it has become, as we see publishing across all industries become a right not a privilege.

Media art covers a a lot of ground, and spans across multiple styles, genres and even industries. What the average person perceives as media art differs from that of someone involved in media studies and production. Therefore it can be said that media art needs considerable backing from various institutions to be produced and published, and experienced by the mainstream population.

One of the most impressive recent installations of media art that I have seen is a 3D projection mapping skateboard ramp <http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/tron-3d-projection-mapping-skateboarding-ramp-session/&gt;. This installation coincided with the release of the movie “Tron: Legacy”. However, would this be considered art? It served a purpose in promoting the movie, and functionally, it added a another dimension of activity to the individuals skating the installation. “It’s like you’re in a computer game in real life” – one of the skaters said. The piece was aesthetically pleasing, but according to the individual, added an extra sensation to the experience.

This idea is linked to the way sensation is felt in our lives, in society and various communities. This is reminiscent of virtuality and virtual worlds, where the individual has escaped “reality” for a moment, in order to pursue something else through aesthetics and sensation, while still remaining part of this world. The idea behind ‘Intimate Transactions” <http://www.embodiedmedia.com/#/page/details&gt; is the same. In this case, two individuals, are part of a new ecology that is reliant upon themselves and their actions. They escape to a new community, a new reality, where their actions have consequences in that specific new community.

Perhaps, if media art can be accessed by the mainstream population, society can gain a sense of consequence for their actions. Even though for only a moment, stuck in a virtual reality, individuals can become reliant on only themselves or one other person, and access a reality that they have not before known. Art and media and not always perceived as linked, but if that perception can change, we as society can grow to appreciate and learn what could be in store for us in the future.

Questions of the future are always open and vague. Simply, we don’t know what will happen in the future. However, just as Jane McGonigal states on her website, regarding the future, “never before has humanity been able to explore the emerging landscape in such detail”. We are in a position where we have access to technology and have learnt from the past, to a degree where we can more so than before, predict what is to come. McGonigal states that the future is “our chance to be new”. This is true, as we have the opportunity to decide what kind of future we all face.

Going back to Week Eight’s topic of ‘The Fate of the State’, it is evident that ultimately, we will define the type of government that engages society for the future. Issues of transparency and media’s role in politics are all issues that we can decide on today, to make for a more effective future for us and our children.

Going back again, this time to the topic of ‘Virtuality’, we as society, but also as individuals engaged in business and education, can decide whether

This week’s topic of the generosity of new media in science and technology is very current and controversial. Wilbanks’ article article clearly outlines that the way in which science used and still does use, publishing, which is tied to print, as a method of “knowledge transfer” is becoming obsolete. Being published in academia gives a scientist credibility within the field. However, controversy also reigns within scientific domains. As we see through geneticist Craig Venter, it is difficult to promote a discovery unless it is carried out by ‘traditional’, or ‘morally credible’ means. Venter’s creation of ‘synthetic DNA’ has been branded as “cheating God”. It marks a significant progression in science, but has not been received well.

Innovation is synonymous with new media – media is a reflection of our society, and in my opinion, society reflects the innovations we have made. In this way, science should be receptive of the various new media technologies that have been established. This is not to say that science lags behind society when it comes to technological advancements, as it is science that makes those advancements in the first place. However, ‘success’ in science, according to the ‘Science Transfer’ article, is measured by the influence that is had on the coming generation. New media now, and in the past, can always be linked to a generation, and it is this link that determines it’s influence. The MySpace generation is a great example, as it paved the way for a new media and social discourse, as well as change the face of the music industry. Science should be able to recognise the potential of new media and media technology in preparing scientific advancements. As Kelly states, science is not a “uniform method”. It is a “collection of techniques” gathered over centuries. It is surprising that old techniques still have relevance in the field. It would be very difficult to find an ‘old’ technique in many areas of technological development, and it is time science ‘caught up’ with, and discovered the “generosities” of new media.

Micropolitics is the use of power to achieve a goal within an organization. How can this concept come into play outside of what we see as an organisation?

Micropolitics play a role in society and media use. We use our power to achieve our goals, but our goals are not always beneficial. Manning (2009) says that affective politics are not moral politics. What influences society is not always seen as right.

Just as the earth is polluted by chemicals and global warming becomes a concern, micropoliticians rise up to stand against the destruction of the planet. Protesters rally in the streets, and sometimes riots ensue, chaos occurs. These micropoliticans are not doing anything wrong in their own eyes, they are fighting for a cause, but to society, they are perpetuating violence.

Take P2P networks – used on a worldwide scale. They are used for a purpose and a benefit, but are deemed immoral because they more often than not, break the law. They promote piracy and stealing, but the micropoliticians at the heart of these networks use the power of their connectedness to promote sharing and free flow of information.

One last example. Only a few weeks ago a video was posted to YouTube where a bigger schoolboy was retaliating against a smaller bully who was abusing him. Both boys were suspended from school. This conduct, posting fights on the internet is anti-social behaviour, but many in the community see this incident as a wake up call to the presence of bullying in schools. The school as an organisation, and the boys as micropoliticians, saw a position of power being used by the bigger boy to achieve a goal which may have been ‘immoral’, but benefited a wider community.

Throughout society, we are faced with obstacles which can be overcome by a collective power of change. Whether it’s global warming, or violence, a politics without barriers allows us to achieve goals that may be beneficial to society, and this micropolitical mindset helps us understand the purpose behind this.

Bibliography

Manning, E (2009) ‘From Biopolitics to the Biogram, or How Leni Riefenstahl Moves through Fascism’ in Relationscapes

For me, VR’s integration into the consumer market has flown under the radar, but after reading the GigantiCo blog on Augmented Reality, I have realised that products are out there and ready to be consumed. Although they may not be exactly how virtual reality is portrayed in movies such as Avatar and Tron, they are taking those leaps towards the future.

However, it seems as if VR and augmented reality have not taken off, perhaps as desired, due to their being ‘ahead of time’. I can liken this to the release of the iPad, which by some (including Molly Wood of CNET) was said to be a product ‘ahead of it’s time’. The technology was there, but the correct application of technology, and the market to consume it, was not. The iPad ended up being a hit, despite it’s lack of features (no camera, multi-tasking, poor graphics). People bought the product but didn’t know how to use it. Not all newspapers were accessible on the iPad, there was no GPS, and web browsing was difficult due to no Flash compatibility. The release of iPad 2, in a sense, opened up the ‘virtual’ to the consumer. GPS and compass features made the iPad much more usable. Although I am comparing the iPad release to VR products, the iPad itself facilitates the ‘virtual’ for consumers. Owners/users are able to step into the iPad for it’s navigation purposes and become part of an “extended mind” (Andy Clark, 1997).

In linking this to media theory, the ‘network society’ we are part of, stimulates the proliferation of technology, but as Guattari said back in 1989

“All existing theoretical bodies of this type share the shortcoming of being closed to the possibility of creative proliferation”

We demand technology at such rapid pace, that innovative products are being released that are simply unusable or undesirable, because of our lack of technical knowledge. If technology was as advanced as we wanted it to be, VR would be a part of our everyday lives. It has the potential to be something we use daily, but it won’t be until the ‘network society’ adapts to the technology, and VR becomes something more than an exciting marvel.